Tuesday, December 12, 2017
I started writing these articles in 2010 and my intention was and is to pay attention to the goodness that is around me, and to educate about the benefits of yoga, meditation and mindfulness. It’s been a good habit for me to cultivate because life has it’s times when it is hard and we all get discouraged and we all worry. And in my case it is easy for me to be negative. I work on strengthening my positivity muscle every day.
Some of our young people are facing some very challenging issues right now in our community. The issues our teenagers are facing, are being faced by teens everywhere and the causes and the solutions are complex. One thing we know for sure is that the solutions need to be driven by our province, our country, and our local county. All levels of government need to value our young people and put their money where their mouth is. The world is different than it was when I was a teenager and it makes sense that the kids need different supports in order to thrive.
The one thing I truly believe about our county is that we are strong and that our solutions will come from that strength. We are creative, caring, collaborative and hardworking people in all of our sectors and we will get through this. It is going to take time and we absolutely are and will work together with our youth to move forward. Again and again I watch people in this community identify a need and respond. The skateboard park is a great news story for many kids in Haliburton. It is such a positive step in the right direction for the kids that are into that. Our hockey community is so strong for the kids that are into that. The Nutcracker is a beautiful experience for the families that engage in it. The High School ran a Canada 150 celebration last week and the teachers cooked and provided breakfast for all of the 450 students. It was a surprise . There were multiple “stations” around the school. The students received an empty plate in their first class then they were given 45 minutes to go around to the stations and enjoy food, fellowship and a positive experience. The staff contributed the food, manned the stations and cleaned up. There was fruit, french toast, juices, bacon, cereals and many breakfast casseroles. Then during the lunch period the students participated in activities to celebrate being Canadian and that was run by students. With special events like these, sports, student government and other clubs in the school there are opportunities for the kids.
My thesis here is that we are strong, hard working, caring, creative and we all want solutions. We know that all of our youth want to be successful, have good work and happy lives. And so we have to work together to create what is needed to support that. And our teens are diverse and need different things. It isn't a quick fix. Everyone has a role. Some things are big and will take time, and others are quicker and are already happening in response to the community meeting last week. Let’s be known as the county that is strong, said yes to our young people and put the supports in place that they need. That’s a story people will want to hear! And that’s the story of the county I chose to live in.